BOSTON (CBS) – A local philanthropist and arts patron is going to be funding a 10-day citywide arts festival next summer. Most of the performances and exhibits will be free of charge.

Ted Cutler, a Trustee and former Chairman of the Board at Emerson College, announced the Outside The Box festival on Wednesday.

It will include performance stages on Boston Common and other public spaces across the city. The festival will feature local arts, music, drama, and dance.

It’s scheduled to run from July 12-to-21, 2013.

Cutler, who has been working on the project for some time, says he hopes to do his part to promote the arts in Boston.

“One of the objectives of Outside The Box is to highlight local and regional artists and give them new audiences,” he said in a news release.

The Festival has issued an open invitation for artists and area groups to contact them about participating in Outside The Box.

Cutler also wants to make sure the public can enjoy the arts at no cost.